- Welcome to POV.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
What is a man and what is a woman,
and does it matter?
Those are questions asked in tonight's film Who I Am Not.
The documentary follows two people
who are born male and female within the same body.
It chronicles how they deal with the self-doubt
that comes with being treated as outcasts by those around them
as they try to find their way in a binary world.
The term "intersex" is used to describe people
who do not have typical male or female gender characteristics
due to genetic or hormonal variations.
People who are intersex can find out
at various points in their life,
including at birth, before puberty, or even after.
Estimates say there are 150 million people in the world
who identify as intersex.
The film focuses on an unlikely friendship
between two main characters.
The first is Sharon-Rose Khumalo,
a beauty queen having an identity crisis
after she discovers that she is intersex.
Sharon-Rose identifies as a woman, but cannot have children.
Helping guide her through this discovery
is Dimakatso Sebidi, an intersex activist
who uses they/them pronouns.
Sebidi found out they were intersex at the age of 21
after their parents sat them down to tell them the news.
They finally understood why they were hospitalized
shortly after being born, and the scars on their body.
Even though the two subjects share an identity,
Who I Am Not explores the diversity that exists
in the intersex community.
Dimakatso is an activist with a tenacious personality
who describes themself as a lion,
unshakable, and God-fearing.
Sharon-Rose, on the other hand,
needed the courage that came from their friendship
to speak out.
She decided to speak out and be part of the film
to help others dealing with the same situation,
hoping it will help them deal with the shame
and loneliness she felt.
She calls her involvement in the film "cathartic."
Who I Am Not is directed by Romanian-born,
award-winning Tünde Skovrán,
whose other occupations include being a producer
and an accomplished, award-winning actress
who was nominated for Romania's prestigious UNITER award.
Who I Am Not is Skovrán's documentary feature film debut,
and it made her an award-winning director as well.
The film's numerous film festivals and many accolades
have helped Skovrán get eyes on her doc,
but it also helps to have some celebrity star power.
Academy Award-nominated actress Patricia Arquette
is an executive producer on the film
and is helping draw attention.
Now let's sit back and learn more
about this marginalized community
through the power of riveting storytelling
and great filmmaking from this up-and-coming director.
Who I Am Not starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.